The Search is On (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: Danny's on the hunt for the perfect gift for someone special.


_My never ending thanks to the amazing Mari for switching days with me last week. You're the best, partner!_

 _Thanks to Ilna for all the help and support. You rock!_

 _REAL Worlders—you make this whole process so much fun and I can never thank you enough. Your support and enthusiasm is greatly appreciated._

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 **The Search is On (1/1)**

Danny made himself comfortable on the couch in Steve's office as he carefully studied his tablet. "Huh. Apparently, there's a machine you can buy that claims it can tell you the exact reason why your baby is crying."

Steve looked up from the file laying on the desk in front of him.

They were working late, waiting for a report from the lab on a case he was hoping to get wrapped up before he and Catherine left for Mary's.

"What are you talking about?"

"Whenever I have a few spare minutes I like to look for baby gifts." Danny shrugged unapologetically. "Danielle's first gift from her Uncle Danny needs to be perfect."

Steve's eyes went back to the folder. "We're not naming her Danielle."

"How about Daniela?"

"No."

"Dania?"

"No."

"Dani?"

Steve finally looked up. "Don't you have an office of your own you could wait in?"

"I do." Danny settled back and put his feet up on the coffee table with a wide grin. "But where would the fun be in that?"

After a minute of silence Danny spoke again. "It's called the Why Cry Baby Crying Analyzer. It tells you if your baby is bored, sleepy, stressed, annoyed or hungry."

"That sounds like something I need to get for you," Steve smirked.

"Very funny." Danny scrolled down and skimmed through some of the product reviews. "It says here that sometimes it takes a while to work so you just kinda need to stand there while your baby cries and wait for the machine to decide on a reason."

Steve leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head.

There was no point trying to get any work done when Danny was in a mood like his current one.

"I feel confident I speak for Catherine as well when I say … we won't be doing that."

"I figured." Danny moved on to the next product. "Babies have a way of letting you know what they need if you just pay attention. Grace's 'hungry' cry sounded like a fire siren. Her 'I need changed' cry, on the other hand, sounded like a series of bombs going off."

Steve smiled as Danny scrolled backwards and looked at the screen as though he was reconsidering.

"I don't know though, it might not be such a bad idea. When it's the middle of the night and you've tried everything you can think of and she just keeps crying … you'll wish you had a machine to tell you what the problem is."

Steve shook his head. "We won't need one."

"Trust me on this one, Steve." Danny stretched his free hand across the back of the couch. "Deciphering babies can be hard. Years of navy intel training and police work will be no help when it comes to figuring out why Niblet is crying."

Steve placed his palms flat on the desk. "I believe you. All I'm saying is we won't need a machine to tell us what the problem is. Because when it's 3:00 A.M. and we can't get Niblet to stop crying, we'll just call you."

"See," Danny smiled, "You say that like it's a threat but as I've told both you and Catherine many times, Uncle Danny will be at your service on a round-the-clock basis. You need something in the middle of the night? I'm there."

"We know that, Danny," Steve said sincerely. "And we appreciate it."

Danny smiled then looked back at his tablet. "How about a life-size beanbag hand and arm shaped pillow to give your baby the sensation of being cuddled even when you're not holding her?"

Steve shook his head. "Pass."

Danny continued to scroll. "Even though I've said in the past how stupid I think this idea is … I accept that you and Cath might have a different opinion so … how about a wipe warmer?"

Steve's brows knit together in a confusion. "A what?"

"It's a little square thing you put your baby wipes in. It keeps them warm so they're comfortable on a baby's bottom during a diaper change."

"You're making that up."

Danny turned the tablet to face his partner. "I swear I'm not. I've mentioned them before. Do you ever listen when I talk?"

"Sometimes," Steve grinned. "Seems to me that keeping damp wipes in a warm environment would just be inviting bacteria growth."

"Only you would think of it that way," Danny chuckled. "So, a wipe warmer is out. Let's see what's next. How about a rubber ducky with a built-in thermometer to test the temperature of the bath water?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Did you have any of these things with Gracie?"

"Not a one," Danny confirmed.

"And look how good she turned out."

"Thank you." Danny beamed. "But don't try to distract me with compliments. I'm on a mission to find the perfect gift for Niblet."

"By all means, don't let me stand in your way," Steve replied, "but isn't there some kind of list you're supposed to be following?"

"What list?" Danny asked.

He was sure Steve and Catherine weren't registered anywhere. At least not yet.

"Catherine said Gracie found a website that supports mothers all over the world and if you order from one of the companies they're affiliated with a portion of the proceeds go to help fund their work."

Danny nodded. "Grace told me about that. It's a great idea." He smiled proudly. "I'll definitely buy something there but I may also go … off list."

"You better not let Gracie hear you say that," Steve warned.

"You let me worry about Grace," Danny responded. "Besides … I can buy more than one gift if I want. It's an uncle's prerogative."

"Just don't go overboard."

"HA!" Danny bark laughed. "That's rich coming from you."

"We never spoiled Gracie," Steve insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that," Danny grinned. "All I have to say is I've been waiting a long time for my chance to return the favor."

"There aren't a whole lot of ways to spoil a newborn."

Danny snorted. "Are you kidding me? That's not even close to being true. The other night I saw a crib shaped like a Cinderella pumpkin coach that costs forty thousand dollars."

Steve grimaced. "You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not," Danny swore. "The matching changing table was another five grand."

Steve shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"And don't even get me started on some of the birthday parties people thrown for their toddlers these days. They're more extravagant than my wedding. Hell … they're more extravagant than _your_ wedding."

"You don't have to worry about that with us," Steve promised.

"And did you know … "

Steve couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Danny getting more worked up by the second.

" … that now there's something called a push present?"

"What in the world is a push present?" Steve asked.

"It's a gift presented to a new mother for going through pregnancy and childbirth," Danny explained.

Steve cocked his head to the side. "Wouldn't the gift be the baby?"

"That used to be the case." Danny shook his head ruefully. "But it's a whole new world out there."

Before he could reply Steve's phone rang with an incoming text. He glanced at his phone. "Let's go. The lab results are in."

"Fine." Danny stood up. "But we'll be revisiting this topic later."

"I figured as much," Steve sighed as he headed for the door.

 **THE END**

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